Kettle Foods Granted SMB Outstanding Achievement Award --MEI Customer Recognized for its Innovation and Growth by Consumer Goods Technology

MORRISTOWN, N.J., Nov 03, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- MEI Computer Technology Group, Inc. -- a leading developer of trade promotion management (TPM) software for the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry -- today announced that its client, Kettle Foods, has been awarded an SMB Outstanding Achievement Award by the editors of Consumer Goods Technology. The award recognizes Kettle Foods as a small to mid-size consumer goods firm that is best utilizing technology to achieve substantial growth in size and/or revenue. Presented at an awards ceremony at the annual Consumer Goods Business & Technology Leadership Conference in Orlando, FL., the award was determined by an esteemed panel of peer companies such as Heinz, P&G, Alberto-Culver, Energizer, Sara Lee and Johnson & Johnson.

Founded in 1978, Kettle Foods pioneered the kettle-cooked style with its all natural hand-cooked potato chips and has been setting the standard ever since.

In fact, Kettle Brand(R) is the number one natural potato chip brand in the United States, according to Nielsen 52 week data ending 10-03-09. The Company was recognized for leveraging technology in order to be laser focused about how they accrue trade spending, and for recently reaching across the aisle and partnering with other northwest CPG companies in an attempt to share ideas and extend their use of the MEI's Trade Promotion Management (TPM) platform.

"As a privately owned company, Kettle is committed to producing great tasting, all natural snacks and to creating a caring commitment to its employees, craft and Community," said Greg Intlekofer, VP of Sales, Kettle Foods. "Leveraging MEI's TPM solution, we are able to market Kettle Brand potato chips more effectively and ultimately deliver consumers snacks that are made in small batches using healthy ingredients. Because MEI's trade promotion management solution is geared towards small companies, they really understand what it takes to be competitive against the big players and more importantly our unique requirements and usage models." The MEI Trade Promotion Management solution enables Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies to increase control of Trade Spending while improving Forecast Accuracy and Deduction Management resulting. Ultimately, MEI helps organizations compete with much larger competitors by improving the control of trade spending, facilitating integration of forecasting and promotion plans, obtaining a more effective reconciliation of deductions and payments, and allowing for embedded analysis throughout the entire cycle in order to reduce costs and operate more efficiently.

"We are elated to learn that the industry has recognized Kettle for the way they manage their trade spend and forecasting processes," commented Lorne Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer of MEI. "We look forward to helping them maintain their leadership position and to helping them to continue to deliver high quality products and ever higher bottom line results." About MEI MEI is a global provider of trade promotion management and retail execution solutions. Founded in 1983, MEI enables companies to reshape their sales and marketing activities thus improving the efficiency of their customers' trade spending, account management, sales planning, forecasting and reconciling. The Company provides proven, reliable and highly reference-able sales solutions for the Consumer Goods industry, and continues to help companies such as HJ Heinz Company, Pinnacle Foods Group LLC, Solo Cup, Energizer Personal Care, Morton Salt and The Schwan Food Company increase profits and strengthen brand assets.

MEI clients through the hosted model include Afexa Life Sciences, American Licorice Company, American Pie, J&J Snack Foods Corp, Marcal Manufacturing LLC, Pacific Natural Foods, Pierre Foods, Ruiz Foods, Sunny Delight, Sunsweet Growers and WhiteWave Foods. For more information on MEI, please visit www.meicpg.com or call 1-800-INFO-MEI.

SOURCE MEI Computer Technology Group, Inc.

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